Rack for holding boots and shoes.



PATENTE'D Nov 20, 1906.

s. L. SAUNDERS.

RACK FOR HOLDING BOOTS AND SHOES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6. 1904.

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I s. L. SAUNDERS. RACK FOR HOLDING BOOTS AND SHOES.

' APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6. 1904.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RACK FOR HOLDING BOOTS AND SHOES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 20, 1906.

Application filed September 6, 1904- Serial No. 223.386.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL L. SAUNDERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an. Improvement in a Back for Holding Boots and Shoes, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like numerals on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to a rack for holding boots and shoes while the latter are undergoing the process of manufacture. These racks as formerly made comprise an openwork frame carrying a series of horizontal bars from which project pairs of pins, each pair of pins being adapted to support a boot or shoe. I have improved this type of rack by substituting for the pins pairs of rests or shoe-supporting members for supporting the heel portion of the shoes and a horizontal bar or rod for supporting the toe portion of the shoes.

The rests for supporting the heel portion of the shoes are made in pairs, and each test has a shape to fit the portion of the shoe with which it contacts, so that the shoe is held in the rest Without being jammed or bent out of shape.

The rests or supporting members for the heel portion as well as the bar for supporting the toe portion are made adjustable, so that the inclination of the sole of the shoe may be varied.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a front view of my improved rack. Fig. 2 is a section on the line as as, Fig. 5. Fig. 3 is a section on the line y y, Fig. 5. Fig. 4 is a section on the line a a, Figs. 1 and 5. Fig. 5 is a section, on an enlarged scale, on substantially the line b b, Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a section on the line 0 c, Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a detail hereinafter referred to.

The rack is illustrated as having a base 8 and standards 4 at its ends, said standards being connected together both at the top and bottom by suitable cross-pieces 5. Rising from the base 3 are a plurality of uprights 6, which support the rests or supporting members for the heel portions of the shoes. These uprights are fastened at the lower end to the base 3 and at their upper ends to a longitudinal member 7. Each upright carries one or more rests or supporting members for the heel portion of a boot or shoe. Said rests or supporting members are preferably made of metal, and each comprises a stem portion 8, which rests against and is secured to the upright 6, and a shoesupporting portion 9, which is preferably made by bending over the top of the blank from which the heel-rest is cut, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The shoe-supporting portion 9 has an extended surface which is curved to fit the contour of the counter of the shoe. These rests are arranged in pairs, the rests of each pair being oppositely disposed and having the shoe-supporting portions 9 arranged to support between them the heel of a shoe, as shown best in Fig. 1, said rests engaging the counter of the shoe.

Extending longitudinally of the frame are rods 10, on which the toes of the shoes rest, said rods being secured at their ends to vertical rods 11, which in turn are connected to the cross members 5. (See Fig. 5.)

I prefer to make the shoe rests or supports for the heel of the shoe and also the rods 10 adjustable, so that the toes of the shoes can be raised or lowered to bring the soles thereof substantially horizontal or at an inclination, as desired.

Each shoe-rest is herein shown as pivoted to a pivot-screw 13, passing through the stem 8, and as provided at the lower end of the stem with a slot 14, through which an adjusting-screw 15 passes. By loosening any screw 15 the corresponding shoe-rest may be turned about its pivot so that the shoe-supporting portion 9 will have the correct position to fit the contour of the shoe. The vertical rods 11 pass through clamping-eyes 18, located in slots in a lower cross member 5, said clamping-eyes operating to hold the rods in their adjusted position. Each clamping-eye has thereon a clamping-nut 19, which is located outside of the cross-bar and engages the same, as shown in Fig. 6.

Among the uses to which my rack can be put is that of supportingthe boots or shoes while the soles thereof are drying after they have been painted, and during such drying operation it is essential that the soles of the shoes are held in a substantially horizontal position. With my improved rack this can be accomplished by merely adjusting the verthereof stands away-from the upright.

use in transporting shoes of different sizes and styles from one place to another in the factory during the process of their manufacture. One style and size of shoe would require one adjustment of the toe-supporting bar and the shoe-rests in order to maintain the soles level, while another style would require a separate adjustment.

In order to make any rack capable of supporting difi erent-sized shoes, I have'made the uprights 6 adjustable longitudinally of the frame, so that the adjacent uprights may be separated more or less to correspond with the width and sizes of the shoes which it is desired to support in the rack.

The uprights 6 may be made adjustable in any suitable way. I have herein shown each upright as having at its lower end an ear or foot portion 20, which rests on the bottom piece 3 of the frame, and'eXtending through said foot portion and into a slot 21 in the b'ottom piece 3 is a clamping-screw 22.

The longitudinally-extending bars 7 at the upper ends of the uprights 6 are each slotted, as shown in Fig. 5, and each upright has seated within its upper end a plate 23, which lies on top of the slotted bar 7. A clamping screw 24 extends through the plate 23, and by loosening the clamping-screws 24 and 22 the uprights 6 may be adjusted relatively to each other to bring the shoe-rests on each bar a proper distance apart to properly support any size or width of shoes.

I propose to arrange the pairs of shoe-rests in horizontal lines, as shown in Fig. 1, and to provide means for placing those in any one vertical row sufficiently near together so that low-cut shoes may be supported, as shown at the right'in Fig. 5.

When high shoes or boots are to be placed in the rack, I propose to remove every other horizontal row of shoe-rests, as shown atthe left in Fig. 5. It will thus be seen that my improved rack may be either used to support low shoes or high boots without any modifica tion.

The rack I have herein illustrated is a double rackthat is, shoes are placed into it from each side.

The shoe-supporting portions 9 of the shoe rests are preferably constructed to yield slightly, so that any one pair of rests can accommodate shoes which vary in width slightly. In this form of my invention this is accomplished by making the portion of the stem 8 above the pivot-screw 9 of resilient material and bending said portion outwardly from the upright 6, so that the upper end This construction allows the shoe-sup porting portions- 9 of any pair to spread sufficiently to receive the shoe and hold it in place.

I have herein shown a spring 89 as acting against the upper end of each stem, thereby to augment the resiliency of the stem. This spring may be either separate from the stem or made by striking up a portion of the stem.

One important feature of my invention is I that the construction insures the absolute separation of all the shoes.

It will be seen upon referring to Fig. 1 that between each two adjacent vertical rows of shoes is placed one of the uprights 6, so that an upright intervenes between any two adj acent shoes in a horizontal row. This makes it absolutely impossible that any of the shoes should touch each other when in the rack.

Another featurewhijch I regardiof advan-v tage is that there are no shelves on which dust can collect, and still another feature is that the particular shape of the shoe-supporting member 9 is such that the correct shape of the shoe is preserved while said shoe is supported in the rack.

In the illustrated embodiment of my invention two separate vertical rods 11 are shown, each of which carriestransverse or longitudinal rods 10.

I have illustrated and described herein one embodiment only of my invention, it being the preferred embodiment. j

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a shoe-rack, a plurality of independently-pivoted shoe-supporting members arranged in pairs, the members of each pair being oppositely disposed and adapted to support between them the heel portion of a shoe, each of said members having a shape to fit the portion of the shoe with which it contacts, and separate means to support the toe of the shoe.

2. In a shoe-rack, a plurality of independ ent adjustable shoe-supporting members arranged in pairs in a horizontal row, the members of each pair being oppositely disposed and adapted to receive between them the heel portion of a shoe, each member having a shape to fit the contour of the portion'of the shoe with which it contacts, and a verticallyadjustable bar to support the toes of all the shoes in a row.

3. In a shoe-rack, a plurality of independently-pivoted shoe-supporting members arranged in pairs, each pair adapted to support a shoe, and each member having an extended bearing-surface and shaped to fit the contour of the portion of the shoe with which it contacts.

4. In a shoe-rack, a plurality of independently-pivoted shoe-supporting members arranged in pairs, each member being adjustable and each pair adapted to support a shoe.

5. In a shoe-rack, a plurality of pairs of adjustable shoe-supporting members, each having a shape to fit the contour of that portion of the shoe with which it contacts, and adjustable means to support the toe of a shoe.

6. A shoe-rack comprising an open frame having a plurality of uprights, independent oppositelydisposed shoe-supporting mem bers secured to said uprights, said members being arranged in pairs, and each member having a shoe-supporting portion to fit the contour of that portion of the shoe with which it engages.

7. In a shoe-rack, an open frame having a plurality of uprights, a supporting member detachably secured to each upright, said members being arranged in pairs, and each member having a portion of a shape to fit the portion of the'shoe with which it engages, and means independent from said members to support the toe of the shoe.

8. A shoe-rack comprising an open frame having a plurality of uprights, pairs of shoesupporting members detachably secured to said uprights, each supporting member having a shape corresponding to that of the portion of the shoe with which it contacts, and adjustable means to support the toes of the shoes.

9. A shoe-rack comprising an open frame having plurality of uprights, shoe-supporting members arranged in pairs, each member having a stem portion secured to an upright, the members of each pair being secured to different uprights, and each member having.

a portion shaped to fit the part of the shoe with which it engages.

10. A shoe-rack, comprising an open frame having a plurality of uprights adjustable toward and from each other, and pairs of shoesupporting members secured to said uprights, the members of each pair being secured to different uprights, each pair having a portion of shape corresponding to the part of the shoe with Which it engages.

11. A shoe-rack, comprising shoe-supporting members arranged in pairs, and means sustaining said members and located between adjacent pairs thereof to efiect a complete separation of the shoes supported thereby.

12. In a shoe-rack, means to support a plurality of rows of shoes, the shoes of each row being arranged vertically one above the other, said means including a separating member located between adjacent vertical rows.

13. In a shoe-rack, an open frame, a plurality of pairs of shoe-supports, each having a yieldingly-sustained portion to engage and support the counterof the'shoe.

14. In a shoerack, an open frame having a plurality of uprights, and shoe-supporting members secured to each upright, each sup! port having a yieldingly-sustained shoe-supporting portion of a shape to fit the portion of the shoe with which it engages.

15. In a shoe-rack, a plurality of pairs of adjustable shoe-supporting members each provided with a concave surface to fit the side of the heel portion of a shoe, and vertically-adjustable means to support the toe of a shoe.

16. In a shoe-rack, a plurality of pairs of pivoted shoesupporting members, each pair adapted to support the heel portion of a shoe, and vertically-adjustable means to support the toe of shoe.

17. In a shoe-rack, a plurality of independent shoe-supporting members arranged in pairs, each member having an extended surface shaped to fit the portion of the shoe with which it contacts, and vertically-adjustable means to support the toe of a shoe.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SAMUEL L. SAUNDERS.

Witnesses:

NATHAN HEARD,- MABEL PARTELOW. 

